For weapons of the type of the present invention, the hammer is arranged in order to strike a striking pin, which in turn strikes a bullet cartridge to fire the cartridge.
The striking pin (not shown) sits in a recess of the breech of the weapon (not shown). A weak spring (not shown) urges the striking pin to extend out a bit in the rearward direction from this recess. A rear edge of the recess limits the striking movement of the hammer, after the hammer has first struck the rear end of the striking pin, and has moved it forward.
For safety reasons, the striking pin is shorter than the distance between the bottom of the bullet cartridge and the rear edge of the aforementioned recess so that it moves over a fixed distance in free-flight after it has been hit by the hammer.
In some weapons of the type described, the hammer is capable of sitting in the recess while it is uncocked and when the trigger is not actuated, such that it urges the striking pin forward slightly. If the hammer strikes against an object, for example, when the firearm accidentally falls to the ground, the blow will be guided via the hammer into the edge of the recess.
However, it has been observed that the igniting apparatus of the bullet cartridge causes a slight impression after an occurrence of this type. This is a safety risk.